Transcription of Gibson Fay-LeBlanc for the show Beginnings #1
Dr. Lisa: Gibson Fay-Leblanc’s first collection of poems Death of a Ventriloquist was chosen by Lisa Russ Sparr for the 2011 Vassar Miller Prize and will be published in 2012. His poems have appeared in magazines including Guernica, The New Republic and Poetry Northwest. In 2011, he was named one of Maine’s emerging leaders by the Portland Press Herald and Maine Today Media for his work directing Telling Room where he still occasionally teaches writing. Gibson is the poetry editor of Maine Magazine and is work on a novel.
As we’ve been talking about that new beginnings, I know you’ve had a lot of new beginnings in your life. You’ve had a series of children and you’re constantly writing new things, you’re doing new things and being part of the telling room and other things. Tell me about your understanding of the power of intention. Setting intentions to setting call it setting goals but how do you work that into your life?
Gibson: That’s a great question. Over the summer, I stepped down as the Director of the Telling Room and part of that was one of the things we always tell kids at the Telling Room is you have to go where the story is. You have to go where the heat is where you feel the most passion and interest and for me I have this novel idea that have been kind of kicking around for years and I’ve been working on it here and there but I came to a point where I realized that I was never going to be able to sit down and finish it without some big block of time. I couldn’t tear myself away from the work that I love at the Telling Room if I was there every single day. So I had to sort of live up to my own advice that I give to kids which was to make a hard choice and pull back and work on this other creative project.
But again, in talking about intentions and goals there came a point where I realized that if I was going to ever reach this goal that I’ve had for a long time, I needed to do something different. Liz Gilbert is a great writer who we brought to town a few years ago and she has a great little story that she tells about saying no.
Dr. Lisa: She’s the Eat, Pray, Love author?
Gibson: Yes. Author of Eat, Pray, Love and many other great books and just also a wonderful person.
Genevieve: Great supporter of the Telling Room.
Gibson: And great supporter of the Telling Room and she talks about saying no and it’s really not easy and you expect that you finally get up the courage to say no to things that people will respond and just pat you on the back and say good for you.
Dr. Lisa: Well they do respond. They just don’t respond in a way that you like.
Gibson: Yes but they don’t … they sometimes are upset and it’s hard to choose the things that you’re going to do but you ought to do it.
Dr. Lisa: We really appreciate your coming in to talk to us today. It’s been great and I think it’s wonderful to know that people are out there doing what they can and using their own talents to further the talents and the opportunities of others in the world. We appreciate your giving back.
Gibson: Thank you. It’s my pleasure to be here.